Philadelphia: S W Aly'svalentine fires fresh

S W Aly'svalentine was clearly ready for her first start since late December.

Breaking sharply from the rail under jockey Vladimir Diaz, the 5-year-old S W Aly'svalentine ($4.60) led every step of the six-furlong, $60,000 Pistol Packer Handicap at Philadelphia Park. In winning for the 10th time in 22 starts, S W Aly'svalentine finished 2 1/4 lengths ahead of Jet Away Jane in a five-horse field of Pennsylvania-bred fillies and mares. She set fractions of 22.15 and 45.34 seconds en route to a final time of 1:10.51.

"She hadn't been out in a while, and she was pretty excited before the race," Diaz said. "I thought maybe we might be going a little too fast early, but she did it so easily that I felt that if we could get another quarter-mile like the first, we'd be tough down the lane."

Hailie's Girl, the 2-1 second choice, outlasted Coffee Shop by a neck for third, 4 1/4 lengths behind the runner-up.

S W Aly'svalentine, trained by John Randolph, was a three-time stakes winner last season.